Robotech - Southern Cross Adventure

[Purr]

Of all of the possible forms of life T'kar thought he might encounter in this semi-tropical land, human children had not been one of them.

"There is another option," T'kar remarked, his heavy bass voice softly booming inside of the cargo bunker. "You could simply tell your papa about this spacecraft and have him follow my tracks. Only people like me can make tracks like these." And tracks he would have to make to see if there were survivors on the Horizon-T's second cargo bunker. T'kar slowly approached the children with a new look in his eye - determination. These were the Earth-people he was hoping to liberate from the Invid. But they were also the very first Earth-cubs he had ever heard! They sounded so bitty!

"On my world, I am called T'kar the Prime Mover." He pointed above and behind him. "This here is Honey. What do your people call you?"

 

[Psychie]

The two small humans duck down out of sight in a belated effort to not be noticed, before popping back up to look at you. With a better look at them, you can see that it is a boy and a girl, still rather young but you are not used to trying to tell the age of humans to be able to guess how old they are. The girl looks bigger, and finally she stands up all the way despite the boy's efforts to keep her hidden.

She says, "I'm Ana, and this is Pedro."

Pedro is obviously nervous at being out in the open, but doesn't want to be alone. He scrambles up to stand next to Ana and grabs onto her arm. He says, "You are a spaceman, aren't you?"

Ana rolls her eyes. "Obviously. Let me to the talking!" Turning her attention back to you, she says, "Are you here to stop Mr. Santos from taking my papa away to the Invid?"

 

[Purr]

Logic leaped to the forefront of T'kar's mind! He was an officer and he had a duty to UEEF's military! A sworn obligation to follow! He had traveled light years to get here and perform his duty to his fellow UEEF comrades who were counting on him.

But what pain was this?

Despite the strength of his argument of logic, there was another feeling from deep inside of his chest! At first, he thought it was his ribs (which could be broken, fractured, bruised, or all three). But no! A feeble moment of self-examination told him the pain was coming from... his heart! These furless defenseless waifs were calling upon him to liberate their (also furless and probably defenseless) parental figure from the evil, vile, nefarious clutches of the Invid! He could not help himself but to look into their faces. How many of his own people had been rescued by the valiant UEEF some 80 light years away? Where would he, his family, his entire race be were it not for their intervention? Above all - how could he leave these poor Earth-pups without a parent?

"Owww Urgh! Mrph!" T'kar suddenly clutched his chest. He gasped and wheezed. "You... you... Ana and Pedro-people! You got me... right in the heart!" he staggered about then relaxed and let out a ginormous sigh. It was true. If there was anyone alive in the Horizon-T's other cargo bunker, at least they were military-trained and probably armed. Earth-people were Earth-people regardless if they were with the UEEF or were too young to probably even know what the UEEF was. But what had she said? Stop "Mr. Santos" from taking her papa? If Mr. Santos were anything like Mister Freedom, T'kar realized he could be in for a big fight!

Still, T'kar the Prime Mover had made up his mind. He found himself asking. "Honey? Do you think we should help them?"

"Yes!"

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes-yes-yes-yes-yes!"

"You're not just saying that because Ana and Pedro are standing right here looking up at you, are you?"

"No-no-no-no-no!"

"I had a feeling you'd say that. Okay, Pedro and Ana. My other mission can wait. Fill me in! What happened to your parent, who is this Mr. Santos, and how may I aid you?"

 

[Psychie]

T'kar's theatrics seems to help ease the worry of the children, and they both smile. Ana and Pedro walk up closer to you, looking up at how tall you are compared to them. Then Ana says, "We can take you to our farm. Papa is there, but if we don't pay Mr. Santos soon, he'll be taken to the Invid. Come on, its this way."

The two kids turn and begin to scramble back through the trees, moving quickly enough to make you have to stretch your stride out to keep up with them. Soon enough, you come to an area where much of the heavy trees have been cleared out to make room for a small agricultural plot. Several people are visible working in the field, tending to the crops, and they look up as the three of you come out into the open.

"Mama! Papa! Miguel! Look at who we found! His name is T'kar, and he's a spaceman! Isn't that neat?"

The older man looks over at you with alarm. After all, it is not every day that he sees something as strange to his eyes as you. At this point, the two youngsters begin to babble so fast it is hard to keep track of what they are saying, but you can catch occasional bits of them talking about how they watched you bury your fellows and what you said over their graves, then saying that he may be able to help with the problem of Mr. Santos.

At the mention of the name of 'Mr. Santos', all three of the adults suddenly look around as if they were expecting to see this fellow appear just by invoking his name. They then turn their attention back to you, and the one adult woman (obviously the mother of the two kids) says in English, "You are a . . . . spaceman? Here to help us? Then we need to get you out of sight so the Invid or Santos and his men don't see you. Come." She turns and leads you to a large building that is some sort of animal holding area, with three large four-legged herbivores in stalls. As she does so, she tells the younger man, probably the one named Miguel, to go back to work since the weeds won't pull themselves. With a sour look, he nods. "Yes Mama." He turns and heads back out to his chores in the field.

The father of the two youngsters motions for you to have a seat on a bale of hay. "I am Mateo Gutierrez, and this is my wife, Maya, and this is our farm. I can see that you have already met Ana and Pedro. Is there anything we can get for you? Some food, or something to drink?"

 

[Sherwood]

For her part, Deunan is both dismayed at the failure of the fleet to do any real damage to the Invid, and hopeful that there may be some survivors of the attack that made it down in this area. She turns to Neo, saying, "I want you to keep on the radio, listening to any signal you can hear that might indicate one of the members of this fleet. Do not transmit unless I say so. We all know how easy it is to track in on a radio signal, and we still don't know what these Invid are capable of. Not to mention the fact that we need to be very selective on just who we bring into our fold. Alan and Marlon, how long to get us a set of working hover cycles fueled up and ready to do some scouting? I want to try and find some allies."

 

[Purr]

"You are a . . . . spaceman? Here to help us?

T'kar thought about it for about half a second then found himself nodding and stammering, "I... am a male from space and... yes, I am definitely here to help you!"

The father of the two youngsters motions for you to have a seat on a bale of hay. "I am Mateo Gutierrez, and this is my wife, Maya, and this is our farm. I can see that you have already met Ana and Pedro. Is there anything we can get for you? Some food, or something to drink?"

T'kar examined the bale of hay. "Honey? Hey Honey?" Honey approached. "Do you know what that is?"

"No," she chimed.

"What, what is this? Is this wheat? And what are those?" he pointed at the four-legged herbivores. They must have been mammals like the Earth-people because they had hair and... he clicked on thermograph... warm blood. "What purpose do they serve?" He turned and addressed the four-legged mammals. "Hi! I'm T'kar the Prime Mover. Are... you sentient?"

"I am Mateo Gutierrez, and this is my wife, Maya, and this is our farm. I can see that you have already met Ana and Pedro. Is there anything we can get for you? Some food, or something to drink?"

"Information mainly but..." Earth-people cuisine? Reaaally? Offered by hospitable neighbors? Oh, he'd be the talk of the town back at home! "...Yes! Please! I'll have whatever you're having! Mind if I take a recording of it?"

After the aliens had answered his queries, T'kar asked Mateo and Maya. "So... You have a fellow Earth-person who desires monetary gain so greatly that he says he is willing to sacrifice you to the Invid for it?" T'kar thought about killing this Mr. Santos. Reducing him to a pile of smoldering ash which T'kar could draw a smiley-face on with his finger. Was it all right to kill Earth-people? T'kar had never before imagined the idea of Earth-people who would aid the Regess. Then he remembered! T.R. Edwards! That guy was worse than the Invid!

T'kar realized he was ready to atomize this Mr. Santos if what Maya and Mateo said was true. He could not imagine one of his own people betraying their own. He unconsciously touched his right shoulder, performing a caressing motion over scar though it lay under his armor. In all of his time as a Prime Mover under the lash of the Invid, he had never even heard of any of his own people considering betraying their own. Honor was everything. Strength and integrity were critical to their way of life. It was better to die than to believe otherwise. And some of his kind had left this life doing exactly that.

But these aliens didn't need to know anything about that. It probably wouldn't interest them. Dealing with this Mr. Santos, on the other hand, would. "Your situation with this Mr. Santos. Tell me everything, please. Plus, do know of anyone who is fighting the Invid around here? And did anyone recently see a long rectangular object fall from the sky in this area?" He perfectly described the Horizon-T's other cargo bunker.

 

[Psychie]

For her part, Deunan is both dismayed at the failure of the fleet to do any real damage to the Invid, and hopeful that there may be some survivors of the attack that made it down in this area. She turns to Neo, saying, "I want you to keep on the radio, listening to any signal you can hear that might indicate one of the members of this fleet. Do not transmit unless I say so. We all know how easy it is to track in on a radio signal, and we still don't know what these Invid are capable of. Not to mention the fact that we need to be very selective on just who we bring into our fold. Alan and Marlon, how long to get us a set of working hover cycles fueled up and ready to do some scouting? I want to try and find some allies."

Neo nods. "You got it, Cap! I'm on it." She turns and zips off for the radio room in the bunker to keep her ears open on the radio.

As of now, the bunker is in pretty good shape for human habitation. The musty air has been filtered out for fresh, the water supply is good, and the food is tolerable enough to sustain life. Thanks to one of the nearby villages, you get the occasional delivery of hot tamales, fresh fruits, and other good food as a way of saying thanks for all the help that the squad had provided in the past. It is a definite morale boost on the days that fresh supplies arrive.

Everyone has been busy getting the hover tanks back up to full strength, and in the few hours that you are not doing that, there has been work being done to get the stored mecha spun up to full operational status. At the moment, everything is set to use.

But as you are pondering what to do next, one of your friendly neighbors contacts you guys on a short range radio call. This farmer tells you that there is a growing problem in a nearby bunch of farms and small villages. There is a group of bandits that have taken up residence in the area, armed with some MDC weapons and armor, that have been extorting the locals for money, supplies and sex. They have also laid down the threat that if they try to fight back, they are willing to turn them over to the Invid. They are asking for help in dealing with these bandits, because they are simple folk and do not have the skills or weapons to be able to survive any resistance to them.

Sherwood Rykon D. Rex

 

[Psychie]

T'kar examined the bale of hay. "Honey? Hey Honey?" Honey approached. "Do you know what that is?"

"No," she chimed.

"What, what is this? Is this wheat? And what are those?" he pointed at the four-legged herbivores. They must have been mammals like the Earth-people because they had hair and... he clicked on thermograph... warm blood. "What purpose do they serve?" He turned and addressed the four-legged mammals. "Hi! I'm T'kar the Prime Mover. Are... you sentient?"

Mateo chuckles. "Those are horses, and uh, they are not sentient. We use them to help us with the chores around the farm." As he is talking, Maya goes off to the main house and comes back with a tray with snacks and a pitcher of lemonade with several glasses. She sets the food down on a stool and pours three glasses and passes them out to all three of you. Maya then says, "I hope you can enjoy this since you are not from our world. I would feel bad if you could not."

But these aliens didn't need to know anything about that. It probably wouldn't interest them. Dealing with this Mr. Santos, on the other hand, would. "Your situation with this Mr. Santos. Tell me everything, please. Plus, do know of anyone who is fighting the Invid around here? And did anyone recently see a long rectangular object fall from the sky in this area?" He perfectly described the Horizon-T's other cargo bunker.

Mateo takes a seat on one of the available stools and swigs his lemonade before saying anything. In a angry voice, he says, "Douglas Santos is a former soldier in the Army of Southern Cross that has decided to take advantage of the lawlessness of the day to take what he wants at the barrel of a gun. He's got a group of nasty boys that follow him around, sucking up to his bloated ego and going drunken rampages across the village. He has made some sort of arrangement with the Invid to take anyone that Santos feels is a potential threat to his control and sending them off to a work camp that is run by the Invid."

Maya looks sad as she says, "After the Invid came, most of the armed resistance against them has been wiped out, but there are still a handful of people that are still out there, trying to do some harm to the invaders. We know of one group of resistance fighters, a group of military men and women that are near. We have sent a message on the radio to them, trying to get in touch to get some help, but it has been too soon for any response. From what I have heard, they have a hidden base in the former Zentraedi Control Zone that they work out of."

Mateo says, "You must know that Santos and his men also have their own weapons from the earlier war, ones that we have no chance against, some of the giant mecha that the military had built. They don't like to use them because it can bring the Invid, then everyone around is killed."

Finally, he says, "I do not know of any rectangular objects that have fallen from the sky, but I rarely leave the farm. Perhaps the children would know."

 

[Purr]

Maya then says, "I hope you can enjoy this since you are not from our world. I would feel bad if you could not."

"We shall find out!" T'kar announced. He broke out his smartphone and takes a short film of it, tapping the glass, swirling it a bit, noting its fluidity, color, temperature, how the ice moves inside the yellow liquid and more. He took a moment to sniff the alien beverage. Satisfied, he tried a sip. "Oooh, that is sweet! And fruity! What is this?"

He's got a group of nasty boys

Oh, if that didn't sound like a gang, nothing did!

Spoiler: Nasty!

"Nasty" by Janet Jackson. "Oh you nasty boys!"

Mateo says, "You must know that Santos and his men also have their own weapons from the earlier war, ones that we have no chance against, some of the giant mecha that the military had built. They don't like to use them because it can bring the Invid, then everyone around is killed."

"Mister, you have described the Invid perfectly. But a human who once fought for the your planet now fighting against it?" The province that T'kar had come from had no word for "bandit." Too many of his own kind had no use for such a lifestyle. If you wanted out of his people's way of life, just stop contributing. You were left on your own with no one to remind or bother you with your laziness. But this Mr. Santos was worse than lazy - he was counterproductive and an agent of the Invid. Not only he, but his Nasty Boys. Bad enough to not fight against the Regess's people, but to join them? And worse, take advantage, threaten, and even condemn your own to a life of slavery and death?

Unless T'kar found strong evidence to the contrary, this Mr. Santos and his Nasty Boys' days above ground were numbered.

"What can you tell me of this military resistance group? Do you mind if we call in your Earth-cubs to ask about the rectangular object that fell from the sky, please? What else do you think a newcomer like me should know?"

 

[Sherwood]

But as you are pondering what to do next, one of your friendly neighbors contacts you guys on a short range radio call. This farmer tells you that there is a growing problem in a nearby bunch of farms and small villages. There is a group of bandits that have taken up residence in the area, armed with some MDC weapons and armor, that have been extorting the locals for money, supplies and sex. They have also laid down the threat that if they try to fight back, they are willing to turn them over to the Invid. They are asking for help in dealing with these bandits, because they are simple folk and do not have the skills or weapons to be able to survive any resistance to them.

When Deunan hears the details of this message, she gets pissed. Not only do they have to deal with repeated alien invasions that blast her homeworld into rubble, now there are humans that have turned to robbery to take what they want from those unable to defend themselves. Working with the Invid? Betraying the Earth like that? How could they do that to their own people? We need to deal with this.

Calling for the team to join her, she says, "Ok, guys and gals, we have a new mission on our hands. Some of the locals have come to us, asking for our help. The lawlessness in the area has reached an ugly level where a group of bandits have been robbing the populace and marauding around, combining threats of violence from themselves and, apparently, from the Invid that they are working with. Before we go in with guns blazing, I want to do a snoop about and see just what kind of numbers and materials we are dealing with. I want the hover cycles up and running so we can take them out. They are gasoline fueled, so they shouldn't draw any undue attention from the Invid."

She pauses while the others think about what is coming up. "The locals know we are in the area, but our exact location is still hidden. This could be a trap to lure us out, but even if it is, we have to take the bait and investigate. We have helped the civilians in the area before, and I still consider this to be our own back yard. I am by God not going to let some assholes ruin what little we have left, and if we see an opportunity to stick it to the Invid, I say we take it and do some damage."

Rykon D. Rex

 

[D. Rex]

When Deunan hears the details of this message, she gets pissed. Not only do they have to deal with repeated alien invasions that blast her homeworld into rubble, now there are humans that have turned to robbery to take what they want from those unable to defend themselves. Working with the Invid? Betraying the Earth like that? How could they do that to their own people? We need to deal with this.

Calling for the team to join her, she says, "Ok, guys and gals, we have a new mission on our hands. Some of the locals have come to us, asking for our help. The lawlessness in the area has reached an ugly level where a group of bandits have been robbing the populace and marauding around, combining threats of violence from themselves and, apparently, from the Invid that they are working with. Before we go in with guns blazing, I want to do a snoop about and see just what kind of numbers and materials we are dealing with. I want the hover cycles up and running so we can take them out. They are gasoline fueled, so they shouldn't draw any undue attention from the Invid."

She pauses while the others think about what is coming up. "The locals know we are in the area, but our exact location is still hidden. This could be a trap to lure us out, but even if it is, we have to take the bait and investigate. We have helped the civilians in the area before, and I still consider this to be our own back yard. I am by God not going to let some assholes ruin what little we have left, and if we see an opportunity to stick it to the Invid, I say we take it and do some damage."

Rykon D. Rex

"The over cycles are ready to go, they were in good enough condition when we arrived. The only things not working are the tanks we came in on. But I can use them for salvage, and get the particle cannons from them when I get time."

Marlon nodded slowly,"But your re right. We got to take this one slow. Hopefully we can get away with this sortie without using the veritechs. If we draw the 8nvid here by using them, we put their lives at stake. We got MDC armor and weapons ourselves, plus the training to know how to use them properly. I'll go get the cycles ready, how many of us do you want to bring?"

 

[Rykon]

"Oh boy. This type of job is my specialty." Alan replied over the loud sound of popping knuckles. "Going on cycles or on foot should be no issue for me. Any problem if we have to open fire or dispatch any bandits on watch?"

 

[Psychie]

"We shall find out!" T'kar announced. He broke out his smartphone and takes a short film of it, tapping the glass, swirling it a bit, noting its fluidity, color, temperature, how the ice moves inside the yellow liquid and more. He took a moment to sniff the alien beverage. Satisfied, he tried a sip. "Oooh, that is sweet! And fruity! What is this?"

Maya looks quite pleased when you show your enjoyment of the drink. "It is called lemonade. A simple drink that my Mateo enjoys after working in the fields. I am glad you like it."

"Mister, you have described the Invid perfectly. But a human who once fought for the your planet now fighting against it?" The province that T'kar had come from had no word for "bandit." Too many of his own kind had no use for such a lifestyle. If you wanted out of his people's way of life, just stop contributing. You were left on your own with no one to remind or bother you with your laziness. But this Mr. Santos was worse than lazy - he was counterproductive and an agent of the Invid. Not only he, but his Nasty Boys. Bad enough to not fight against the Regess's people, but to join them? And worse, take advantage, threaten, and even condemn your own to a life of slavery and death?

Unless T'kar found strong evidence to the contrary, this Mr. Santos and his Nasty Boys' days above ground were numbered.

"What can you tell me of this military resistance group? Do you mind if we call in your Earth-cubs to ask about the rectangular object that fell from the sky, please? What else do you think a newcomer like me should know?"

Mateo nods. "It is a sad thing, seeing a person that was once a protector turn to such a horrible life like this. It is like a demon has taken root in his heart, bringing out all the evil inside him. I don't know if he had problems in the military and now that the government is gone, he has turned, or if this is the result of something else entirely."

When asked about the resistance group, Mateo smiles. "They are angels. Before the Invid came, they used to come out, usually once a month in their hover tanks, with medicine and water purifiers for the people here, giving freely their time and effort to install and maintain pumps and inoculate people against disease."

Maya nods in agreement. "Yes! My oldest, Miguel, he was very ill, and the Third Heavy Recon squad came out to the farm and a doctor in their team treated him until he was better, asking for no money or anything in return. Also they would protect us from the Malcontent Zentraedi. If it were not for them, who knows what would have happened to us!"

She then turns and calls for all three of her children to come in. Ana and Pedro seem to still be quite excited at seeing you, but Miguel is still more hesitant. Maya asks of the younger two, "You were out playing when you saw T'kar. Did you see other things from the sky out there? T'kar wishes to know."

Ana and Pedro nodded. "Yes, mama! We saw a few other bits of metal come from a ship that crashed, but we didn't see anyone alive outside, and we were scared to go in and look. I am sorry, Mr. T'kar."

Their mother then says, "Can you describe where to find these things for Miguel to lead T'kar back there? I don't want you two going out right now; you have your own chores to do that you have been neglecting."

The mention of chores makes the two youngsters look less enthusiastic, but they both nod. "Yes, mama. We think we can tell Miguel how to find it. Then he can lead Mr. T'kar to the ship!"

Miguel and the two younger ones quickly talk, with Ana and Pedro giving directions to their older brother. After a bit, he seems satisfied that he knows where to lead you. "Yes, I can do it. When do you wish to have me go?"

Both Maya and Mateo look to you, and Mateo says, "That is a decision that is up to T'kar. Sir, you are welcome to stay here in the barn if you would like. Normally I would invite you into the house, but we have little room and you are so very tall. Consider yourself a guest for as long as you will stay."

 

[Purr]

T'kar took yet another look around the wooden structure. "'Barn'? With the friendly-looking herbivores, er, 'hor-sez'? I would love to! Especially in the company of such warm and fine Earth-people! Buuut..." he frowned in a big way.

"... if I don't check out that other cargo bunker, I am going to worry myself to death and chew myself out for being a bad officer. I really need to see if anyone else made it, and if they need medical attention. Miguel?" He turned respectfully to the young Earth-cub. "Would you please take me there now? And stay back at a respectable distance?" He gulped pointedly. "There might be things in there... even a brave young man like you... shouldn't see."

Then T'kar gasped and beamed. "Oh! And before I forget, could I get the recipe for this lemonade, please? It is really really delicious!!"

 

[Sherwood]

"The over cycles are ready to go, they were in good enough condition when we arrived. The only things not working are the tanks we came in on. But I can use them for salvage, and get the particle cannons from them when I get time."

Marlon nodded slowly,"But your re right. We got to take this one slow. Hopefully we can get away with this sortie without using the veritechs. If we draw the 8nvid here by using them, we put their lives at stake. We got MDC armor and weapons ourselves, plus the training to know how to use them properly. I'll go get the cycles ready, how many of us do you want to bring?"

"Oh boy. This type of job is my specialty." Alan replied over the loud sound of popping knuckles. "Going on cycles or on foot should be no issue for me. Any problem if we have to open fire or dispatch any bandits on watch?"

Deunan thinks for a moment about either taking everyone, or leaving someone here at the bunker to keep watch. After a moment's reflection, she says, "We'll leave Cooper, Neo and O'Brien here to stand guard over the bunker, and the three of us will go and see what we can find out. I want to know about numbers of these bandits, where they are based out of, and what kind of gear that they have in hand. I don't want to go up against mecha on foot, and I also want to avoid a pitched firefight in the middle of a population center."

 

[D. Rex]

"Yes ma'am." Marlon answered quickly. "I'll get three cycles ready." And with a a simple nod, he would hurry off to the garage.

Bringing about three hover cycles, and giving them a quick check for fuel before starting them up. Making sure they were warmed up and ready to go once Duenan and Alan finished any other preparations.

 

[Rykon]

Alan focused on readying personal defense weapons while Marlon readied the cycles. While both of them liked to go in heavily armed when able, the presumption would be they'd need to favor precision weaponry in the case civilians were present. Regardless of what primary weapon he ended up with from their supplies, he'd keep his old trusty side arm on his hip.

 

[Sherwood]

Deunan will caution both Alan and Marlon to go light on their weapon load; a standard rifle and sidearm should do for each of them. Perhaps a grenade or two for good measure. After all, this is a recon run, not a full assault mission - yet.

 

[Psychie]

T'kar took yet another look around the wooden structure. "'Barn'? With the friendly-looking herbivores, er, 'hor-sez'? I would love to! Especially in the company of such warm and fine Earth-people! Buuut..." he frowned in a big way.

"... if I don't check out that other cargo bunker, I am going to worry myself to death and chew myself out for being a bad officer. I really need to see if anyone else made it, and if they need medical attention. Miguel?" He turned respectfully to the young Earth-cub. "Would you please take me there now? And stay back at a respectable distance?" He gulped pointedly. "There might be things in there... even a brave young man like you... shouldn't see."

Then T'kar gasped and beamed. "Oh! And before I forget, could I get the recipe for this lemonade, please? It is really really delicious!!"

Mateo says, "I understand. You have your duty to your people. Miguel, go now with our guest. I pray that you find what you seek."

With that, the two of you make your way through the thick trees until you come to hunk of twisted metal that used to be a Horizon-T cargo bunker. It is quickly clear that there will not be any survivors of the crash; the damage is just too great. A look inside confirms your fears as you see that the bodies have been tossed about like rag dolls, and the brave soldiers that were inside just stood no chance.

It takes you several hours of work to gather up the bodies of the fallen and to bury them, but it is necessary to be done.

 

[Purr]

Keeping Miguel at quite the safe distance from these horrors, T'kar gathered added the IDs and personal effects of the fallen, planning to join them with those he had already collected. Over their gravestones, he repeats the same prayer he gave before with no less feeling.

If time and opportunity allows, T'kar gathers and scavenges whatever is inside this cargo bunker. He uses his laptop to create an inventory of everything that may be of use immediately, and if repairable, what might be of use eventually. He also looks around the area for anything that might have fallen away from the cargo bunker. Lastly, he checks for any evidence to be certain he is the only adult-sized person who has been here.

EDIT: But if T'kar finds any sweets, drinks, or munchies that he can give to the family, he'll bring those along. But he realizes the Horizon-T's cargo bunker probably wasn't carrying that sort of thing for this occasion. =)

 

[Psychie]

Deunan, Alan and Marlon set out on the three hover cycles, heading off towards the nearby village, leaving Neo, Cooper and O'Brien behind to monitor the radio and keep a guard on the bunker. Jetting along, you see off in the distance the occasional Invid patrol of a handful of Armored Scouts flying about, but since the hover cycles don't use Protoculture, you are not drawing their attention to you like your mecha would.

As you get closer to the nearby village, you remember that there is a farm along your path that you have had contact with before, helping the farmers' kids through a flu epidemic that was going through the area. The farm is small, and is run by the members of the one family, so if you go there first, you have a good chance that you won't get turned away and may be able to get some information from them.

The farmer is Mateo Sanchez, and his wife is Maya, and they have three kids.

Also, make sure you pick out what gear and weapons you have on you and post it either in the OCC or IC thread. For personal weapons, there is a fairly decent list that has been typed up and posted in the Lore tab in a spoiler.

 

[Sherwood]

Since the Sanchez farm is right nearby, Deunan heads that way, throttling back on the speed of the hover cycle to keep from blasting into the place and freaking them out at the sight of them. She calls out to the guys, "Lets check out the farm and see if Mateo can give us any info."

 

[Psychie]

Purr

Miguel would offer to aid you in your efforts to properly inter the remains of the fallen soldiers in the cargo pod, but when he sees the mess, his face goes green, saying that perhaps he would be better suited to digging instead of recovering the bodies, obviously wanting to do something to help, but is torn with the desire to get the hell away from the carnage of the wreck. The fact that he's willing to do what he can shows that the young man has a good spirit to him.

The process of taking care of the fallen and going through the two cargo containers to get an inventory of what is usable will take you several hours, and as you begin your examination of the gear, Miguel says that he should return to the farm, do you need anything from him before he goes?

Of the two cargo containers, you are able to make your list of the salvage.

One Bioroid Interceptor with only cosmetic damage done to the paint and minor dents (your mecha)
One Bioroid Interceptor with 50% armor damage to its main body
One Valiant that has been ripped in two, but its weapons on the upper half of the Destroid are recoverable
One Valiant with 50% armor damage to the main body
Two Spartans with 25% damage to the main body
One Defender with 50% damage to the main body

Eight VR-038 Light Cyclones
Sixteen VR-052F Heavy Assault Cyclones

30 suits of CVR-3 body armor

200 mini missiles of various warhead types

 

[Purr]

"Mister Freedom!" T'kar worriedly addressed his Bioroid Interceptor. "What have they done to you? Look at those nicks! That nasty scratch! Oh, those dents will never do!" He balled up one fist and shook it angrily at the ground beneath his feet. "Gravity! Beat up Mister Freedom, will you? Why is it always up and down with you, Gravity? You're like this... eternal downer in life. I'll let you off this time... but next time, OOOOH, fortunately for you, I'm a down-to-Earth kinda guy!"

Once T'kar noticed that Miguel had seen more than he had intended him to see, T'kar scooted Miguel away from the scene. Seeing the Earth-cub's expression, he realized the nightmarish visions of the Earth-dead could possibly hurt Miguel's psychological decisions in his future and might even scar his psyche in the long-term. But what to do? Ah! Give him something else to think about! Something... important! He seemed to like tasks so...

"Miguel, I need your help! You gotta do something for me! I need you to help me compile a list! I don't care how long it is or how menial - a list of mechanical, electrical, and medical troubles you and your family are having. Everything that's busted around your farm. Get it to me before I'm done with this inventory which should be in just a few hours. I have to find a place to keep all this safe from Mr. Santos and the Invid." T'kar knelt down. "Also, is there any place around here you know of that could hide all this? The more secret it is, the better! I'm counting on you, Miguel! Can you do it?"

* * *​

Once T'kar was left alone with his devices (literally!), he searched around and took stock of any non-military gear and provisions. Humans, being the warm-blooded creatures they were, ate often and that meant food! Of course, giving any of it to Mateo and Maya would be a big mistake, for this Mr. Santos, if he found it, could become reasonably suspicious, but that didn't stop T'kar from perhaps providing them a feast of the stuff and taking all of its waste and evidence along with him.

But to where? T'kar knew he had to get these mecha and Cyclones out of here before someone came looking. "Honey!" he called upward. "Start looking for provisions and anything we haven't recovered already. We have to find might have to start digging our own little base here, far from the Sanchez sloth. Or they could pay dearly for helping me!"

 

[Psychie]

"Miguel, I need your help! You gotta do something for me! I need you to help me compile a list! I don't care how long it is or how menial - a list of mechanical, electrical, and medical troubles you and your family are having. Everything that's busted around your farm. Get it to me before I'm done with this inventory which should be in just a few hours. I have to find a place to keep all this safe from Mr. Santos and the Invid." T'kar knelt down. "Also, is there any place around here you know of that could hide all this? The more secret it is, the better! I'm counting on you, Miguel! Can you do it?"

The young man gives you a tired smile, and says, "Yes, I can do that. There is always a few things that need to be worked on, but the biggest is our tractor. It seems to know just when we need it the most, then it breaks down. I'm sure that papa will be happy to see it working better." When you ask about where to hide this stuff, he stops and thinks hard. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he says, "I know of a cave not too far from here. Papa told me that when he was a boy, there used to be a river that flowed through it, but ever since the Rain of Fire from the Zentraedi, the river dried up and left the cave all dry. I don't know if it is big enough for all the things you wish to hide in it, but at least some of these things can fit in it."

By now, it is late in the afternoon, and if you are going to be headed back to the farm for the night, you should get going now.

Since the Sanchez farm is right nearby, Deunan heads that way, throttling back on the speed of the hover cycle to keep from blasting into the place and freaking them out at the sight of them. She calls out to the guys, "Lets check out the farm and see if Mateo can give us any info."

When you pull up to the farm, you see Mateo and Maya outside with two of their kids, taking care of various chores. They look up as you pull in, with concern on the face of the man that changes to relief as he recognizes you. He smiles and waves, motioning for you to bring your hover cycles into the barn.

"Ah! Captain Conway! You and your team are always welcome here. Please, come and put your cycles in the barn, just in case we get a visit from Santos' gang of thugs. They would not be as kind to you as we are. Maya! Look! We have more guests!"

Maya, Ana and Pedro come up, and Ana gives all three of you great big hugs while Pedro does his best to give a snappy salute to Deunan. Maya says, "It is good to see you, my friends! How are all of you doing? What brings you to our home?"

Pedro says, "Mama, they're here for the spaceman, of course! Then they will kick that mean ol' Mr. Santos in his squishy parts and make him run away!"